BNP-M’s sit-in continues until release of Baloch women, says BNP-M President

BNP-M President Sardar Akhtar Mengal said on Monday that his party’s sit-in demanding the release of arrested Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders will continue until “our women are released and reach their homes”, according to a report by Dawn.

Mengal had announced a “long march” from Wadh to Quetta to protest the arrests of BYC chief organiser Mahrang Baloch and other leaders as well as police crackdowns on a sit-in. However, the Quetta administration had denied the party permission for the rally, Dawn reported.

On Saturday evening, a provincial government delegation comprising Zahoor Ahmed Buledi, Bakht Muhammad Kakar and Sardar Noor Ahmed Bangulzai met Mengal and other BNP-M leaders at the party’s sit-in site in Mastung but could not convince Mengal to end the sit-in, which continued.

Addressing the protesters today, Mengal said, “The sit-in will be written in history and will continue until our women reach home after being released” as quoted by Dawn.

On the fourth day of the ongoing protest sit-in at Lakpas area of Mastung, BNP Awami chief and member of Balochistan Assembly Mir Asad Baloch, National Party leader Sardar Kamal Khan Bangulzai, Prince Muhammad Baloch, son of the Khan of Kalat, and other political leaders also expressed solidarity with the sit-in protesters.

Addressing the sit-in on Saturday, Mengal had said, “The government delegation spoke to us about cooperation and finding a way. “We told them that they must find a way and let us go to Quetta”, as quoted by Dawn.

Mengal elaborated, “The government delegation asked us if we wanted to hold a rally, to which we said that if we wanted to hold a rally, we would have done it in Khuzdar. “We told the government our only demand is to release the women,” Mengal said. “We told them that we will march towards Quetta, demanding the release of our women,” as cited by a Dawn report.